Variable-value register



BEST AVAiLABLE com Aug. 31 1926 G. F'. ROOKE VARIABLE VALUE REGISTER Filed sept. 27, 1919 'BEST AVALABLE CCW4 Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

UNITED STATES GEORGE r. nooKE, or rnovrnnivcs, ,anonnrsraiv'n VARIABLE-VALUE .REGISTER-l rThe present invention relates to a method or means tor registering values, and particularly such money values, as fares and prices, which may vary with lapse ot time or with distances travelled, as in the case of transportation of passengers by a common carrier. The principle of the invention may have many specific applications, Wherefore the protection which l desire to obtain from the invention is not limited to the particular applications hereinafter mentioned Jfor the purpose of illustration and explanation, eX- cept as appears from the appended claims. However, in order to illustrate what I mean by the variable values Which the present invention causes to be registered, I may mention such instances as moving picture exhibitions or vaudeville performances, and street railway transportation. Patrons of entertainments, such as these suggested, may desire to remain ,inthe theatre for a longer or shorter period-.of time, andpassengers on streetcars may need to travel for a longer vor shorter distance.` In either of these cases, as Well as in others in Which the value oi the commodity of benefit purchased isidependent on the factor of time, distance or other variable factor, equityl requires that the price, which the purchaser isirequired to pay, should be governed by the variable Jfactor. This principle is recognizedv in the case of street car transportation by the establishment ot zonesystems, but the putting ot the principle into practice in'this and other instances, has been hindered by 'ditiiculties of measuring the values received by individual patrons, and particularly of reg istering or recording fully andV correctly such. values, and the payments'ther'efor by purchasers or patrons.

To refer again to the instance of the street car transportation system, the adoption of the logical system o-zones asa means for determining the amounts ldue asfares, has been largely prevented on account of vthe difficulty of identifyingr individual passengers with the distances travelledby them, and the diiculty ofcompelling conductors or guards to register correctly the'amounts paid by passengers. Heretofore vreliance has been placed altogether on the accuracy and volition of the guard or conductor of the vehiclefor collecting the proper number of 'fares trom each person according to the distance travelled and making a full and accurate record thereof, since such devices as auto- Applicaton led September 27, 15319.v` Serial No. 326,920.

Amatic fare registers, the requirement ot payment before entering the vehicle, and so forth, are not in themselves sufficient to coinpel the passenger to keep true and full account of. the fares due.

In recording fare collections under a zone system anumber of variables must be 'taken into account, :torv the passenger vWho travels across more lthan one Zone boundary must pay'a multiple ofthe tare unitaccording to the number of Zones t-ravers'edr.I While `any passenger vwho travelsonly fromy one zone to the next lmustfpiay-.ithe--same fare vvherL ever the Zones mayf-be iir'which 'he' has mounted yuponv and alightedy from-the vehicle.

let tbeassumed'lthat a.' rapid transit cbm'- panyf is operatingastretzcar line in asystem containing f 'eightl Zones. A passenger mayfboai'dzthe car' inra-ny of the-zones and 'To illustrate theseadifficulties"fmore clearly,

travel; into any other-zoneup ltoit-he last one',

passengers andr to'fcomp'el' :the co-operatio'n` ot fthe-,f passengers: in i'recording; fares; and so-y prevent ai-lureoti the conductor to Imake a ,record e' required =by -v .tlieoperating f company.I AI? -have ;accomprlished.r this 4olojectf by the use i ,of a f recordingfapparatus lhaving the principles wliich are explained in f the following'l -vspecificationf, and :in connection 'With'- 'af drawing i: zil'lustrating i one possible torni ot the main- :parts thereof, and: par'- ticularly f pointedl out inthe' claims. Mech anism r embodying 'these principlesA :may 1 be construct'edvxin. various forns: and *applied in diverse waysge andi lftherfilliistration given in these :drawings is? merely one possible embodimentr-ofv means nln :thesel drawings, Figure''lxisf" anielevation "of .ia-form' of apparatus'V or means'if containin'w'the f principles of `thefinvention rpaticularlyf claimed herein'.v z- .Figure'gQ isf-.95; plan view ot the same. -i elf t` y ,5 Like reference@ characters designate the same partsyin-both'sgures- I Woiild''remark at`sthe outsetfthat the purposevv of these f drawings is tofillustrate anexplanation of the principles ofthe invention in such full, clear, and exact terms sesr lav/amers com that persons skilled in thear-t of recording and registering machines may apply such principles in commercially practical constructions, and that I .do not attempt in these drawings to illustrate all the mechanisms and various connections which mayl be necessary for the smooth and invariably correct functioning of -a oom-merciahmachineas I have conceived that such mechanisms and adjfu-n-cts are not necessary to be shown 'in order to .explain the principles of the invention, and that suitable embodiments thereof may be :supplied from the existing information available io the skilled worker in 'this art. -t-may be said, then, that the drawing rather a diagrammatic representation o the essential parts .of .an apparatus :the lpresent invention in their cao-operative relation to one another. At the sanne time it :should be noted thatJ I do not the protectionwlrich I claim for this invention 4to the exactl parts .and Zconstructions here shown. Y

1Referring'now #to the drawings, l() and l1 nepresent the opposite 'sides or 'bounding wall members of a reoeptacie for certain bodies which may be p:laced='into such recepnace. As here showin the receptacle has form vof a chu'tewiirth onrvergingsides. .This condition may be described in. a gen- .ernl way uns 'beings that parts :of its bound- -ingfsid-esfor wml'ls iut diiereiitfdistances from its entrance aatidiierentdistanees apart, .the pants ofthe neceptacle'hawng the narrower widths :being 'in cases fart-her from the `'entrance rtharr 'those' parts haw-ing relatively'I greaterf Width.'y in consequence bodies of lnliiteriecntiWiditlflsf whenplaced in the receptacle`and1 allowed iofr caused to traverse fthev samer Will move 'thmugh the :receptacle until-.they:reach paat's .of the receptacle oitl which the widths .are 'respectivef ly no :greater than' the 'widths of ithe bodies dans entered; whereupon such bodiesl will be arnemed. fiodiesof relativelyflessfwidth will travel :farther into-.the-receptacle '.betore'. 'being 'so arrested .thancwill--fbodies o reartivfeiy greater Widthsx i"Ehe hodies-abovefreiierred to may be'o'f any shape, (dimensions,- -or configuration, .and they-mayV be olf any material, provided only they havief-sniiixentlsstiiness to ora-operate Uwith other. parts A.of the device'in subst-antiallythe-manner presently described.' The embodiment of suchbodiesheae. illustrated is the forni of circular disks of different diameters; shut :1., have vcontem'prlatiom bodies of other-shapes, The important fact, however, is that the bodies comprise .a .series ermsisting ninas' many-:units .as there are zones in the transportation system, and that Veaehnnit offthe seniesdiiers 'from every otherv unite-inane of its dimensions, this 'distinguidiing dimension being| considtionthe widtlrof the body. .i ln the further 4explanation"BI will assume for the purpose of .convenience oi description, but without limiting intent, that the bodies are circular disks and that the receptacle is a chute with tapering sides arranged in a position which is near enough to the upright to allow such disksto pass bygravity from Ythe entrance, which is the larger erich-toward the smaller end of the chute.

One of--the sides of the chute, as ll, is :adjustable toward and away from the other vsido, so to increase or diminish the width ot' the chute, but Without altering the angle i-nlnded .between its opposite side walls. Therefore the member ll, is mounted upon .a -bacli 'wall l2 by headed studs 13 and 14, .which pass tin'ough slots' l5 and lo, respectively, .which are perpendicular to the tclim'te-bGun-fling edge' of f .this member. Spring-s l and 18 are connected to the wall member .and .to fixed anchor-ages and are ,nnder'stress ltending constantly to Withdrawhis; member frein the opposite side member.l .This withdrawing movement is f limited, and the wall member is further 'adjnsted `as to its position by ltwo cams y19' and 20, the outline-of. which is shown 2in Figure 2 and of which ,fthe-cam ledge or outline' l Ot) tothe niim'berof zonesiof thefsyf'stemvliich dial, :with referencel to'4 a' suitable 'in dex, not shown, will. indicate; the settings of the cams ligand: 20', and thereby-oit? the chut-e wall 1l, according t'o the-zone in -whiohthe ica'r may be'at any `timeli The' dial Ina-y be rotated 1'1-0 manuallyl by the conductor 'or-motorm'an of the car, and 'exemplifies means for 'turning the control .shaftfto set thewall l1.

:Beside thewall. .l0 of .the chute is mounted a shaft 25 on which there are secured a number o toothed disks' or stm'wheels 26 spaced apart and eqnal'in number-to the number of zones of the system. HThese-se'verazl disks are arranged 'beside parts of fthe'chute or' different Widths, andfthey are so mounted that a disk lodged vin -the cliute'besi'de any one of them will overlapone-of'the arms or teeth of the wheel: 'Although .only three such disks are shown, it is obvious that to illustra'te ythai-ull complement of them requires only the place-mentl of 'duplicate disks beside the locations indicated by the dotted line circles als, d4, etc.' 4

Vvvith reference to Fignre 2 it will be noted thatfthe surfaces there designated 27 iso " vcred for the pnrposeioi the [present descripand 28 oi they members. 10 .and ll bou-nd the W) v chute'and engage vthe opposite `edgesv of lthe BES? Ali/AMABLE COPN inserted disk, and thelips or langes29. and 30 engage the front sideof any suelrdisk'to holdv it upright .in the chute. Openings through the Wall 27 are provided beside the locations of the several star'wheels7 and thev arms of such Wheels pass through such openings and in eachposition of restl of any Wheel one of the arms is back of the adjacent part of a disk lodged in the chute.' u

In the apparatus chosen for illustration,- whieh is adapted for use with a transporta-- tion system having. ten zones, the series Vof disks used in connection.withitcomprises ten disks of graduated sizes, the receptacle is designed to cause each of these different disks to be arrested in a given location whenthe receptacle or chute isfextend'edtoy its' greatest width, and .the different starfvvheels` are placedheside these several.: locations.- Said ilocations Aare'indicated-.i'n Figurel byA the circlesv marked allfrclzl'.: (Z3, d4, did, df', (Z8, d, d1,..respectively.' Saideircl'es designate illustratively-.the relative Widths ofthe' individual disks -of the entire'series. Thusl a disk-of any; size dropped'intothereceptail ele will' fall through -E itnmtilvarrested- :bye its engagement -with i .the -oppositrwvall's of? the' receptacle-,14 and it; occupy approx-imatelyi' one: or: another oithese' designated locations:

' accerding to the :size of' th'e :dishbandi the zdisetance apart ,touwhicli lthezv'alls are adjinsted according to. the principles 'fandbyf 'the fmeans previously described. The adjusting cams' 19 and 20 are designed andithefgearingrbetweeny thel same and'vthe indicating.- diali'QO so proportioned; thatiiwhenithe adjustment; is set= ta indicate'zone- 10 on the=-2di-al, f'the disk 'of smallesteividth Willpassitdthef osi; tion d10.- beo're being. arrestedf: wliile'f'whenA the dial indicates adjustment forfanyoth'er'l Zone :as 1, 2; .7, .orf8,:or' instance', the recepi taclez will, beA :appropriatelynaarowede y to ari-y f rest the sar'nefdisls'inthe llo-'cation dlj Pf "JT or- (Zin respectively z while Ldisks.. of# other widths will: b'e: correspondingly arrestedfin'- different locations above or bael'zbfronifthei-rf respect-ive .positions-'indicated im thei draw-'I- ing. AThus-,for example, Aifa'thefisetis'irigds made for zone 7, the siiiallestdisk,idroppedf i into the lchute would;'-be'zarrestedsatxthe* position; (Z2: the Anextlarger-.disk:in the; posi# tion (is, andthe successively:laigenzlisksnE the positions d5, (Z,-d"d?and;d1andthe? entrance =of the 'chute-Wouldwbecontracted too muchfto admit'anyfdisks'ioffthe three'- largestf'sizesL Orf when the'adjilstment isiforl'v zone l,- theny only.. gthef',-smallest.edi sk 'fcani enter the-chute; and it would? b'ei-'arrested'in' u approximately. ith'e vposition-f allf'lilesidesr first stan-wheel. Itisintend'edfthat in each i T-The several star Wheels. are geared-:tor`

rotate a shaft 31, whichA drives a .counter or register 32,' such `gearing convenientlyicon@ sisting of a disk 33- having pins 34 located adjacent to each star wheel in position for the arms of the -lattertoengage the .pinsr Whenever the star Wheel is turned;- The'ar-- rangement of the uppermost star Wheeland the pin carrying-wheel is s ho'wn in Figure' 2. The disk or. wheel'33` may be itself: a' gear Wheel, or it may be connected to a gear Wheel, which is in mesh with a complemental gear 35 on the shaft 81. Each of the star'vvheels is similarly geared to the shaft 3l, but by trains 335-351, c-jand-so forth yhaving .respectivelydifferent value-s, With thel object and result'that equal 'steps of'-1novement of the different star' WheelsV will'cause diii'eringval-ues' to be registered.' Thus assuming asl-before that' the machine'v is organized for a ten zone system an'df'thab an additional a're'unitfis required'of passengers traveling from' each Azone-to the next,L then: the star. wheel beside the"locatio`n"dv, when thus-moved iWill-caus ljegistra-tionloi one .unit,' i that 2in? the doca'tion d, 'wi1l= cause registration' offtwo unitsf and .so on- 'by'suef-' cessivefnnit increments until thej last star! wheel causes registration.) of ten 'unitsifrfrf ifr- Theapparatusfwhenl Aforga'n'iZed 'orl com;l P mereial use' iis enclosedi' al casing havin'r i0 sl'otl or. vother suitable 'guiding` means#V (fonstructed *andw arranged-fy according Q tojl 'prinz-'f ciples Well: kno'vvnand .understood'by'f those? skilled irithis "art, for causing the disks toA '"'O drop always behind' the proper -tooth'fofr the' staiwwheel beside which theidisk lodges'7 sof thatrproperzregistration-maybe possible.

For thus 'causing registrati'o r 1 through th'ef medium'l o the-insertedldisks,I provide lo bar= whicli: runslengthyise' or the chutef at' one Iside; of: the pathr ini wvhichfthe'i disk's'f trav'el: i'Cros'spiecesiiaaI-e: cariiedi *thi's bars #adjacent i Ito the. several stopping :locationsof the *disks i and are adapted"to be passedf throiighf notches.' 35ain the5 edges' 'ot the Iside memberslil() and All fandfsofto be" pressed ''ag'aii'istf anyE 'disk Which i 'may xlhave lodged beside Sany` of the cros's bars; with the effect-'of' displacing suehdisk. f Said bari 33" is mounted twith ability! fori thus i 'in'o'ving from ro'nti'to r'eajof'the chutandf-it isl'smmoved-'f by suitable' lmeansfztiperated eithenA directly, or indirectly 'through interni'ediate mechanism,z by *the "conductor for lby' autel" matic means. An .'operative" modeorfi thus" mo1inti11`g=and movingff 'ith'e 'har' isi provideJ two l'orf more separatediguide rodsl AE36-'and 3'?? upon' itgfssaid rods'lbeing contained '1 in a 'slid-i ing manner in guidertays proyided fontli'e casing and protruding* therefrom'. Laceessibly y to the conductor forfother' attendant'.A Hencef when :the tbar' isjm'ovedg backwv'arch' any' 'diskf which may have? lodged =back ofv anyffcrossr' piece is pushed back out of the chute, and

in being so displaced it operates the adjacent star Wheel by turningv it, and so causes regis tration of a value proportional to .the posi,- tion of the disk in the chute. It is not necessary that the disk should directly move the star Wheel through an entire step necessary to operate the register, but it is enough if the disk merely initiates such movement, which is completed by other means, of which various types suitable for the purpose are zrlreadjy7 known in the art of recording machines, and one of which isa spring pawl. having inclined sides to enter between the teeth of thestar wheel and exert a propelling force as well as a holding action: illusing the car ishanded a-disk,'or counter, by-

the conductor,and this counter is one. or' the series previously described. If the passenger boardsthecar-in the'first zone,;the

disk handedhim-is the firsty or smallest one of theseries; if in the second-zone, it is 'the next larger size; 'if thetfth zone, the fifth size disk; and if the' last zone, the largest;`

sized disk. 'Meanwhile as the car travels :tromz'one -to zone,the Width of the chute is progressively adjustedv from. the narrowest Width, wherein the smallest 'size disk will lodge in approximately the position d', to 'successively wider limits as: already fully described.. Vhenthe paenger is about to alight he: drops the disk, which was previously handed him,- into-*the chute, andthereupon the bar 33'* :is moved-.to `displace the disk and-causeregistration Aof the-sum' required4 olf-him to pay for his transportation. 4Itheentered'thefcar in the tirst zone and alighted in the first zone, the-disk handed him will be one 'ofthe-smallest size and will stop in the iirst position in the chute, calling for the' paymentofone fare. It he had remained von'the..car,untilthe eighth zone, for instance, is reached, his disk will dropto the eighthposition and show that he must-pay eight fares; while -if he had. entered in the sixth zone,for instance; he

would have been given a disk of the sixth size, which being dropped in the chute when the car is in the eighth zone would drop into.

the second position and indicate that payment of two fares is due.

The foregoing descriptionof a particular.Y means; and-mode of operation 1s given for explanation of the principles of the invention. without intent to indicate anyl other limitations of the scope of the invention and the protection which l claim therefor than are indicated by the appended claims. Numerous modifications in and departures from the constructions and arrangement' here shown and described may be made Within the principles of the invention and the scope of my protection. l conceive that the fundamentals of any embodiment of the invention include a series of bodies ot which the Aindividuals ditfer from one another in at least one dimension, which have been called the u'idth'7 in this description, although they may vary in other dimensions; a receptacle in which said bodies may he placed and in which the different bodies ot' the series occupy ditl'erent locations according to their distinguishing dimension, means of causing the same bodies to occupy different locations in t-he receptacle according to the zone of the transportation system in which the car is at any time; and finally means by which each body in accordance with its location in the receptacle causes vthe amount due from each passenger to be indicated or'registered.- It is, of course,-ix'u:v material 1n what specific condltio'ns the 1n vention is used, that is, Whether in a street car system or for any other carrier of passengers for hire, and likemise whether the system-includes a large or a small number of zones; the utility and essential characteristics of the invention'are the same in all cases.

In applying the principles hereinb'efore explained to use in conditions Where time is the variable factor, as in the previously mentioned case of a continuing entertainment, tickets of diiierent characteristic dimensions, a holder for a supply of such tickets, receptacle tol receive the' tickets in diii'erent positions according to their sizes and to lapse ofV time, and a register operated and controlled by the tickets are employed.

Likewise, these saine principles are applicable to any other use in which payment is exacted in different amounts from purchasers in proportion to al v'variable element; The amounts due and paid by purchaser are Caused to be accurately and-honestly determined and registered by requiring the purchaser and the attendant or guard to cooperate and thus to check one another in 'determining such amounts.

In this specification and thefollowing claims, .the term ticket is used in generic sense to include any piece or body, whether made otmetal` wood, paper or any other material, and having any shapey or form, whether circular, spherical, rectangular, or otherwise, which is adapted to be used substantially as, and for the' purpose, and with the results herein described, and having a characteristic which is identified With a par- BEST AVMLABLE COPE ticular value of the variable factor controlling the determination of amounts due or payable for benefits or services.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A method of registering fares in a zone transportation system, which consists in p roviding a series of graded bodies differing from one another in a characteristic dimension, the number of such grades in the series being equal to the number of zones in the system, and each being appropriated to a separate Zone, issuing to a passenger when mounting upon a vehicle of the system a body of the dimension appropriated to the Zone in which the vehicle is at the time, providing a receptacle for deposit of such bodies in which there are separate resting places for the several bodies distinguished by the characteristic dimensions of the bodies, changing the dimensions of such resting places when the vehicle passes from one zone to another by amounts equal to the difference between such dimensions of successive bod'- ies in the series, whereby each body is adapted to occupy one or another of said resting places according as the vehicle is in one or another of the zones at the time of deposit of the body in the receptacle, displacing the body from its resting place, and causing it when displaced automatically tol effect registration of a value proportional to the relative position of said resting place among the other resting places.

2. A method of registering values which vary with a variable factor, which consists in providing a series of bodies, differing from one another in a characteristic di` mension, in providing further, a receptacle adapted to receive said bodies and having stopping places in different positions for the bodies of respectively different dimensions, altering or adjusting the eharacteris` tic dimensions of said stopping places according to the variable factor; said adjustment causing the same body to be arrested in one or another of the stopping places according to the adjustment, displacing the body from its resting place and causing it When displaced to register a value proportional to the relative position of said resting place among other resting places.

3. A method of determining and registering values governed by a variable factor, which consists in providing a series of tickets differing from one another in a characteristic dimension and respectively appropriated to specified values of the variable factor, issuing to the purchaser a ticket of the dimension appertaining to the value of said factor existing at the time of issuance, providing a receptacle adapted to admit such tickets and having stopping places of different dimensions adapted to arrest tickets of corresponding dimensions, altering the dimensions of said stopping places with the change in the variable factor, whereby the same ticket, when placed in the receptacle is caused to occupy one or another of the several different positions dependent on the value of the factor existing at the time of deposit, causing the pur- Chaser to deposit the ticket received by him in said receptacle at the end of his enjoyment of the benefit purchased, and causing the deposited ticket to register a value corresponding to the location of that stopping place in which it is arrested, as set forth.

4. An apparatus for registering amounts due in a system of variable values comprising a receptacle having resting places for bodies of different widths and adapted to be adjusted to cause arrest of the same body in different resting places, a register, means for displacing from said receptacle the bodies placed therein, and mechanism for actuating said register operated by a body in being so displaced.

5. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising' a receptacle having portions of different widths adapted to arrest bodies of correspondingly different Widths placed therein, means for simultaneously altering i the Widths of all of said portions by amounts equal to the difference, or a multiple of the difference between the widths of successive portions, whereby the same bodies placed in the receptacle under conditions of different adjustments will occupy different ones of said portions, actuators arranged adjacent to said several portionsadapted to be moved by a body placed therein, a register, and gear trains of different values from the several actuators to said register for effecting registration of values conditioned upon the width of bodies respectively lodged adjacent to said several actuators.

6. An apparatus for registering fares in a zone system of transportation, comprising a series of bodies having characteristic dimensions all different from one another, a receptacle adapted to receive said bodies having resting places proportioned to lit respectively the characteristic dimensions of the different bodies and being adjustable' to change the proportions of all such resting places in different conditions of such adjustment, and registering mechanism operable under control of the bodies so deposited to register values proportioned to the relative locations of the several resting places.

.In testimony whereof I have aHXed my signature.

GEORGE F. ROOKE. 

